steve1

Thankyou, thankyou all! I appreciate all the trade secrets you are sharing with a greenhorn, wannabe, camera flyer like myself. I can't wait to get in the air and try some of this out! This is truly a valuable sight!...Steve1

I don't have kids yet, got about ten years or so before I do, but if ANY teacher EVER forces my kid to take a drug without my permission, I will personally smack the dumb bitch across the head. ADHD medication can only be prescribed by a physician.....Steve1

I work in a school where huge numbers of kids are being diagnosed with ADHD. The only thing is that several other disorders have almost identical symptoms. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, oppositional defiant, fetal alcohol syndrome, and even severe depression are some. Many professionals mis-diagnose these. Medication is a tremendous help for many ADHD kids. It enables many to concentrate on their studies when they were unable to do so in the past. It no doubt keeps many from getting into trouble, and disrupting the rest of their class. I've seen some who were able to stay in school rather than be expelled due to ADHD medication. Although it can help greatly, there is no doubt it is also over-prescribed....Steve1

I got my new still camera in the mail last night. I'm still trying to figure out my direction manual. I'm basically a point and shoot kind of guy, so I hope I don't offend anyone by asking some really dumb-ass basic questions. Anyhow, I'd like to use the manual setting and tape the focus ring in place. My bite switch seems to work fine. These are the questions that I'm trying to figure out. 1. Do I need to cover the eye piece to keep out unwanted light? 2. What shutter speed should I use for freefall photos? 3. What would be a good setting for the aperature? 4. Does a person really need a sight for this. I talked to one guy who said it works well just to put a dot on your goggles, and it is safer....But it seems like most free-fall photographers do use a sight. 5. What type of tape do you use to tape your focus ring....I've heard gaffer tape mentioned. 6. Lastly what is a good film for this? Thanks a lot....I really appreciate any advice or opinion....Steve1

I had a friend who was also killed by his cat. He had the habit of keeping a loaded pistol on the top of his headboard above his bed. I think it was a 9mm, and had a bullet in the chamber. Anyhow his cat was climbing around up there and knocked the pistol off. It hit something hard and discharged shooting my friend through the head. The rumor was that his wife shot him, but charges were never brought against her. Cats are clumsy at times and I can see this happening. Most modern automatic pistols have a safety that blocks the hammer from hitting the firing pin. So this pistol must have been an older model or was off safety when it happened. Gun safety is nothing to take likely. Really stupid things do happen .....Steve1

I've got an altimeter that I bought new in the 70's. It may not be stylish, but it works perfect....Steve1

My Dad used to fly co-pilot in the early day Tri-motors when he was a kid during the 40's. He came to Western Montana (from Idaho) when he was still in High School and lived with Bob Johnson, (the owner of Johnson's flying service). He helped work on Johnson's fleet of Tri-motors and Travel-airs in Missoula. When he first started working, a mechanic sent him on an errand to go get some propellor pitch. Although the Tri-motors and Travel-airs dropped lot's of smoke jumpers, they seemed really underpowered and took forever to get to jump altitude...Steve1

DexterBase, I learned a lot from your article. One part that was interesting was that the wound channel from a hollow point pistol bullet often isn't much different than a hit from a solid. A hollow point shot from a rifle expands tremendously. Often times too much, and it may not penetrate deep enough. Apparently this rarely happens with a hollow point pistol bullet. I guess the slower velocity of a pistol explains why hollow points may not be much better than a solid in a hand gun. The information on penetration was also interesting. Having too fragile of a bullet may not penetrate to the vitals. I've had this happen a few times on big game animals. I sometimes shoot Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets because of their extreme accuracy. Although they are very accurate they sometimes blow up when hitting bone, and don't penetrate deep enough. They are more or less a hollow point. Not a good bullet for bigger animals. I wonder if anyone has any literature on the effectiveness of a shotgun in combat situations. I recall reading somewhere where a perpetrator rarely stays down for long when hit with one.

I hate to see hunters arguing among themselves. Everyone is different and that doesn't make them wrong. If one hunts purely to meat in the freezer that's fine. If one wants to extend his hunting season by holding out for a trophy, I can't see anything wrong with that either. If someone hunts with either a rifle or bow, why not? The enemy isn't each other, it's the anti-hunters who are trying to take our sport away from us....Steve1

Most certainly this is an emotional issue! If the government said we need to turn your front yard into a garbage dump in the name of national security...wouldn't you get emotional? Sure you could probably get used to the clutter and stink, but would you really want to? Is this really a matter of national security, or just more double talk by a slick politician? That's kind of how I feel about it. This is one of the last places left that hasn't been spoiled by man. New pipelines, roads, and camps, are a necassary part of oil production. So I wonder what you mean when you say "we can do it clean enough without camps and excessive roads".....Steve1

I suppose it's only a matter of time before further drilling is done on the North Slope. I've hunted and camped up there and I personally hate to see the place roaded up and covered with construction camps, any more than it is. I think we've already ruined enough states in the name of greed. Lot's of people think why not ruin just one more area, even though it's probably one of the last places like it anywhere in the world. I've never thought about myself being called an environmentalist. I spent over ten years working as a timber faller, but maybe I am kind of a tree hugger now. An important question is how much oil is really up there. I've heard it will only be a very temporary solution to our oil crunch. To people who care little about nature and wildlife this probably sounds great. It's kind of like Bush's master plan to log the shit out of our remaining forests in the name of combating forest fires. I still can't figure out how that's supposed to work. I love my country, but I don't trust it's leadership....Steve1

QuoteBush: Oil drilling plan vital to national security reply] What a grand excuse to rape a protected area....Steve1

I guess I'm lucky. In Montana I can bowhunt early and later in the fall I can also rifle hunt. I find both challenging and rewarding. Either way I can fill my freezer with meat.....Steve1

I do a lot of bow hunting. It is a great challenge. Rifle hunting isn't always easy though. Particularly if you are holding out for a big one. I know some who rifle hunt all fall and never kill a single deer because they are still holding out for Mr. Big.....Steve1

This is a good point that needs to be discussed. A lot of people don't realize that at point blank range a shotgun pattern isn't much bigger than the bore of the barrel. This is something a person needs to test using probably with an improved cylinder choke if you plan on shooting very close. Buckshot won't pattern as well as a round that has more BB's, so this is another thing to test out. Beyond 20 ft. there is a very definite pattern to work with though, and this can help greatly in hitting you target. I don't shoot a pistol much. If a person has a lot of skill with one, maybe that is the weapon to choose. I shoot a shotgun quite a bit. I have a lot of confidence in shooting one even if most of my practice is shooting birds. I have a short barrel that I use for turkey hunting and home defense. I just think I'd be better able to hit a bad guy with the first shot, when conditions are far from ideal.....For example when your heart is beating a hundred miles per hour, when a bad guy is shooting back, or it is pitch black out, or your target may be moving. I'd just feel a lot more confident with a shotgun. For others it may be a pistol. I've seen some true life fire fights on TV where the bad guy is shooting it out with police. Some times they are only a car length apart. Often times bullets are flying everywhere. Even the trained professionals are often missing a lot of shots in these scenarios. A shotgun my be slower to draw and fire, but it would be more deadly in my hands than a pistol. Maybe if I shot a pistol more I might feel different....Steve1

Hollow points don't feed reliably in some handguns. And if you can't shoot the gun, it's worthless for self defense... Make sure you do a lot of target practice with your chosen load to ensure reliability. Don't just buy them and assume they'll work. I've never heard this before. I suppose it could be true though. I've tried several brands of hollow points through my own automatic and they all seem to work fine. Not all bullets are shaped the same, nor have the same jacket, and all these factors could cause problems in an automatic. Even some solid bullets don't feed as well as others and testing them yourself in your own firearm is a smart decision. I have one older automatic that jams if it's not perfectly clean and oiled, and it's very finicky about what ammo feeds well in it. (It needs some work.) I've seen a lot of autos that jam in cold weather. But cold weather is not a factor in a home defense situation. So I agree, A person needs to test his weapon with different loads and under different conditions, to find what works best...Steve1

I wish I had bought two hornets instead of one. A few years ago, (when the British Rand was down), you could buy one new from South Africa, (for around $400). Those days are long gone. I love my hornet....Steve1

Quote the pump shotgun is your best home defense gun, reply] I agree. A short barreled shotgun is hard to beat for close in shooting...and it won't penetrate too many walls....Steve1

I'd go with hollow points. They blow an awful big hole, yet they should have enough penetration to get the job done. I'd sure hate to get hit with one....Steve1

I have to admit I like cats. But if there was ever a killing machine it is a cat. They make great pets, but they also kill everything from song birds to young pheasants if given the chance. I guess I can see the rationale for shooting them if they are caught out in the boon docks. There's lot's of feral cats in some places. Coyotes often keep the number of feral cats down, if they are in the same area. As far as that goes, coyotes often keep the number of free roaming dogs thinned out too. More than a few dogs are chewed up bad or even kiled by coyotes each year. I've talked to some ranchers who say dogs will be lured away from the house by a single coyote. They may even seem to be playing with each other. Then the other coyotes will move in and chew them up.....Steve1

Thanks for the advice, guys. I picked up a rebel 2000 today on ebay. It had a nice variable lens I can use for other things. Paid $150 for it all in factory sealed boxes. My next purchase will be a lens for it that will work for skydiving. I also liked the looks of the (ti) model but ended up with the 2000....Steve1

I've been looking over all the canon rebel series cameras and am wondering which would be good for camera flying. There are so many that seem similiar that it is kind of confusing. I was hoping not to spend over $250 for the camera body. Thanks a lot....Steve1

I think most hunters are sickened by the idea of fenced in hunting. The idea of hunting at home from a computer is really sick in my mind. Here in Montana, hunting game animals such as deer and elk, in a high fenced in area, is now illegal. There is still lot's of debate over this. Personally I'm glad it isn't allowed. A few years ago it was perfectly legal to hunt a fenced in ranch here. Wealthy clients, from out of state, would fly in, and then that same day, shoot a huge bull elk in a fenced in area. Often times they would preview the trophy sized elk on the ranch, by watching a video, and pick out the one they would shoot. The bigger ones cost more money. These so called hunters would then pay ten or fifteen thousand per elk, and then fly out again. Many didn't even want the meat. Many of these same heads were then entered in a record book such as Boone and Crocket. This isn't hunting in my mind. But then again hunting on an outfitted ranch these days isn't much better. Hordes of hunters, who hunt public ground, end up pushing most of the wildlife onto these ranches where only the rich can hunt. There's just too many hunters hunting public land these days, and the wildlife often moves out of these areas. Game Depts. need to start limiting the number of hunters on public land and this scenario probably wouldn't happen. Since most game depts end up getting most of their money from selling licenses, I doubt this will ever happen. What they are doing is helping the outfitters in the process. The more licenses they sell the more money is in their multi-million dollar budget. Don't get me wrong, much of this money goes to a good cause, but the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks seldom if ever cut back on the licenses they sell, even after a tough winter when there isn't a lot of wildlife left. Hunting is changing fast, even in Montana. I'm not optimistic about the future of hunting. I doubt if the common person, without lots of cash, will even be able to hunt in the near future. It's just another sign we have too many people in the world. As far as new technology goes, game depts. watch this closely. If something comes along that makes hunting unethical, it is often outlawed.....Steve1

Thanks for your help vdschoor. I'll start looking for a better helmet. I fiberglassed a flat spot on top of my old protec and fastened a football chin strap on it. There's a safety bolt into the bottom of the video camera and some nylon straps to also hold the video camera on. It may be too heavy though, and maybe not stable enough. I also rigged a quick way to unsnap both my chin snaps in an emergency. But like you say a better helmet would be a smart purchase. I had some other camera flyers look at it, and they said it is probably safe enough. But not their first choice of a camera helmet....Steve1

Check E-bay. I see them under skydiving all the time....Steve1